Peter Rubinstein ’64 on His Path to Becoming a Rabbi

February 27, 2017

“It began in my freshman year. A friend of mine from West Virginia asked me ‘What do you believe? What do Jews believe?’ And I couldn’t answer that question.”

Sometimes a conversation changes everything.

“It began in my freshman year. A friend of mine from West Virginia asked me ‘What do you believe? What do Jews believe?’ And I couldn’t answer that question. It bothered me that I couldn’t. I knew who I was as a Jew but I couldn’t answer that question.”

Amherst didn’t have a department of Jewish studies, or even a class on Judaism, so Peter Rubinstein ’64 took a theology class with Professor Pemberton instead. And he was hooked.

It would take several more years, other career interests, and a multitude of classes, but he eventually became Rabbi Rubinstein and recently retired after more than 20 years as senior rabbi at New York City’s Central Synagogue.

Hear about Rabbi Rubinstein’s remarkable career path and the lessons he learned along with way.